Childhood Risk Factors for Persistence of Violence in the Transition to Adulthood: A Social Development Perspective

• NCJ Number: 189964
• Journal: Violence and Victims Volume: 16 Issue: 4 Dated: August 2001 Pages: 355-369
• Author(s): Rick Kosterman; John W. Graham; J. David Hawkins; Richard F. Catalano; Todd I. Herrenkohl
• Date Published: August 2001
• Length: 15 pages
• Grant Number(s): R24 MH56587; 1R01DA09679; 21548
• Sponsoring Agency: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation; National Institute on Drug Abuse; National Institute of Mental Health
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examines childhood risk factors for persistence of violence in the transition to adulthood.

Abstract

The study examined violent behavior from age 13 to 21 and identified predictors at age 10. Logistic regression was used to assess predictors of developmental patterns of violence. Data were from 808 youth interviewed annually from age 10 to 16 years, and again at ages 18 and 21. More than 28 percent of the subjects reported nonviolence throughout adolescence and into early adulthood. Most youth (55 percent) engaged in violence in adolescence but desisted in early adulthood, while 16 percent persisted in violent behavior at age 21. Violence in adolescence was best predicted by male gender, Asian American ethnicity (a protective factor), childhood fighting, early individual characteristics, and early antisocial influences. Adult persistence of violence was best predicted by male gender, early school achievement (which was protective), and early antisocial influences. Early prosocial development was protective against violence persistence for females. The article discusses implications for prevention. Figure, tables, references